Rae Sloane is a character that you may be familiar with if you read Star Wars novels. She is a popular character in several books and comics. Fans recently got excited when the official trailer of the new video game Star Wars: Squadrons featured a hologram of her commanding Imperial TIE fighters. This game will be the first time fans get to hear her speak. She has only appeared in books and is only mentioned in other Star Wars canon content. 

Who is Rae Sloane?

Rae Sloane dedicated her life to serving the Galactic Empire as a naval officer. She was instrumental in the survival of the Empire after the Battle of Endor. When she was just an Imperial cadet attending the Defiance Flight Training Institute Sloane discovered a plot by Commandant Pell Baylo to assassinate Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader and put a stop to it. Shortly after she began to quickly rise through the Imperial Naval ranks. 

By the age of thirty, Rae Sloane was temporarily made Captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer the Ultimatum while the actual Captain, Yale Karlsen was assigned to a construction committee. During her time in command, Sloane was charged with transporting Count Denetrius Vidian to the planet Gorse. When the Ultimatum arrived in the Gorse system it was drawn into a conflict. As luck would have it while Captain Sloane was serving this tour she stumbled into a plot by Vidian to destroy the Gorse moon Cynda because of her efforts she was given permanent command of the Ultimatum.

During her time in the Gorse system, Rae Sloane discovered the hidden Jedi Kanan Jarrus. She began to track his movements in her spare time. She spent the next seven years tracking Jarrus’s every move all while rising in the ranks of the Imperial Navy. She eventually becomes a Vice Admiral. She lured Kanan into a trap and finally captured him. The Grand Inquisitor approached her to find out everything she knew about the Jedi. 

By the time of the Battle of Endor, she commanded the Star Destroyer Vigilance. After the destruction of the Executor, which was Darth Vader’s personal flagship, she was the highest-ranking officer and ordered the retreat of the fleet when the second Death Star was destroyed. 

Other Appearances

Rae Sloane makes appearances in several Star Wars books and comics. She is also mentioned in the video game Star Wars Battlefront II. 

Star Wars Battlefront II

Rae Sloane is only mentioned in the story of the popular video game Star Wars Battlefront II. The story of the game follows Iden Versio, commander of the Imperial Special Forces unit Inferno Squad. In the game, Versio witnesses the destruction of the second Death Star. Inferno Squad is overwhelmed with shock and grief. Iden quickly takes control of the situation and tells the rest of the Inferno Squad that they can grieve later and need to keep moving. Iden is informed that Vice Admiral Rae Sloane, as the highest-ranking living commanding officer, and she has ordered a full retreat. 

A New Dawn

Sloane is introduced to the Jedi Kanan Jarrus in the novel A New Dawn. She quickly becomes obsessed with tracking his every move throughout the galaxy. She studies him for several years and eventually, the Grand Inquisitor approaches her about what she knows about Jarrus. Kanan lures Captain Sloane into a trap. After restraining Sloane with a stasis beam, Kanan impersonates an Imperial agent and tells her to send information about Cynda to the Emperor.

Kanan 12

Kanan 12 is the twelfth and final issue of the Kanan comic book series. In the comic, Kanan uses his lightsaber to dig a hole through the roof and break into a prison. He dispatches the two stormtroopers guarding the cell occupied by Morfizo. Morfizo greeted Kanan when he was still known as Caleb Dume when he landed on the planet Moraga.

Morfizo asked the young Jedi Padawan his name and because he wanted to leave his Jedi life behind him he answered with Kanan Jarrus. Morfizo was arrested and taken by the Empire for joining a rebel cell. A message was sent to Kanan in hopes that he could rescue him. However, the Imperial officer fires at the energy field outside Morfizo’s cell. The officer tells him that she did not miss because she did not intend to kill him, revealing herself as Vice Admiral Rae Sloane.

Aftermath Trilogy

In the Aftermath trilogy, the second Death Star is destroyed. The Emperor and his apprentice, Darth Vader, are rumored to be dead sending the Galactic Empire into chaos. The trilogy follows what happens when the dust from the second Death Star settles.

The first novel starts off with Captain Wedge Antillies trying to pull a fast one on the Empire. Wedge’s ship drops out of hyperspace near the planet Akiva. He is supposed to be running a recon mission of the outer rim planet for signs of the Empire. As soon as his ship arrives shortly after two Imperial Star Destroyers appear and his communications are jammed. One of the star destroyers in the Vigilance which is the ship that Admiral Rae Sloane commands. 

The second novel Aftermath Life Debt, SHows us the forming of a new group the Imperial Future Council (IFC). The group sets up a meeting to discuss what the next steps are for restructuring the Empire. All of the individuals present at the meeting have little trust for one another because of the constant power-grabbing. As a result, Sloane is asked to bring out the entire Imperial fleet that is in hiding in order to surprise the New Republic when they bring an armada, but in the end, Sloane has the idea of sending the Imperial Star Destroyers away so that their ships cannot be detected. This turns out to be the better strategy and with that, the space above Akiva is once again clear. 

In the final novel Aftermath Empires End, IFC is in even more chaos. Valco Pandion, who rose to the rank of Moff after the Battle of Endor suggests they fight the New Republic head-on, knowing that they will soon send their fleet, but Jylia Shale believes this will only lead to the defeat of the Empire once and for all. Admiral Rae Sloane tries to calm everyone down and pretend that nothing bad is happening, and finally, they agree to once again start the meeting. Meanwhile, Norra Wexley and the other Rebels continue their pursuit to destroy the Empire once and for all. 

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I think Rae Sloane is a fascinating character. She like so many others joined on the side of the Empire for good reasons. Like most people, Sloane is not aware of the evils that lurk under the surface. I’m excited to check out how her character comes to life in the new video game Star Wars: Squadrons. I’m not sure if her character will play a big part on the side of the Empire but I’m definitely curious to find out. I enjoyed researching this character and I hope to dive into more about her soon.